Bexar County Sheriff’s Office has launched a criminal investigation into former San Antonio Spurs first-round draft pick Josh Primo, officials confirmed to The Athletic Friday.
Former Spurs psychologist Dr. Hillary Cauthen and her attorney Tony Buzbee announced on Thursday that they filed a lawsuit against the team and Primo over the handling of Cauthen’s allegations that Primo exposed himself to her nine times.
Cauthen also filed a criminal complaint against Primo. “We expect them to prosecute,” Buzbee said at the Houston news conference.
A day later, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office is reported to have made contact with Cauthen, saying “preliminary investigation into the allegations is underway.”
Primo, a promising prospect in the 2021 NBA draft, was unexpectedly cut from the team on Oct. 28. While no reason was given, Primo released a statement to ESPN that evening saying he had been seeking treatment “to deal with previous trauma I suffered.” A day later, ESPN reported Primo had been released because he had allegedly exposed himself to women multiple times.
Cauthen said on Thursday that she first notified the Spurs about an incident with Primo in January. She claims the Spurs took no action at that time, and she was asked to continue meeting with Primo despite her reports of his behavior.
Buzbee said Cauthen lost her “dream job” because the Spurs “ignored her repeated reports of indecent exposure on the part of Primo.”
“The organization I worked for has failed me,” Cauthen said. “It took the Spurs 10 months to do the right thing. And that’s too long.”
In a statement released Thursday, Primo’s lawyers said Cauthen came forward with the allegations to use “ugly stereotypes and racially charged fears” for her own financial gain.
Buzbee said the lawsuit is not seeking monetary damages.
Spurs CEO RC Buford released a statement on Thursday saying, “We disagree with the accuracy of facts, details and timeline presented today. While we would like to share more information, we will allow the legal process to play out.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was asked by the San Antonio Express-News prior to the team’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday if he was made aware of Cauthen’s allegations against Primo in June.
“I understand your question and your desire to get as many details as you can,” Popovich said. “As you also know, this is in the hands of lawyers now. So we can’t go there. I’m not going to go there. It’s up to them. They’re going to talk about it, they’re going to argue about it, they’re going to go back and forth. That’s what they do. While that’s going on, we can’t talk about details.
“I will say, I stand by the statement that came out yesterday from the Spurs organization, in contrast to many of the things that were said at the press conference. I would only add that anybody that has observed the Spurs over a very long period of time knows that an accusation like this would be taken very seriously. Without any doubt whatsoever. No equivocation. The Spurs organization would be on top of it.
“I’m absolutely confident that men and women on the managerial staff who dealt and are dealing with this, did so purposefully, efficiently, promptly, and did it with the utmost care for everyone concerned — the accuser, the accused, people in the organization to make sure everyone still felt comfortable and safe. I’ll leave my comments at that.”